Draft Lake Macquarie Community Participation Plan by Lake Macquarie City

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN1

Community participation in the Lake Macquarie planning system What is our Community Participation Plan?

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Community Participation Plan and Integrated Planning and Reporting Principles of the Community Participation Plan What is community engagement in Lake Macquarie? Our approach to community engagement Our engagement aims Community Participation Plan planning documents Exempt and Complying Development Land that this Community Participation Plan applies

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

in the Lake Macquarie planning system

Lake Macquarie City Council recognises community participation throughout our planning system delivers better planning results for our community.

The NSW Government requires Council to prepare a Community Participation Plan (CPP), to set out how and when we will engage with our community on the planning functions Council performs under the EP&A Act.

Our responsibility and objectives under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) is to ensure the promotion of orderly and economic use of land, facilitating ecologically sustainable development and promoting social and economic wellbeing.

Community participation, in relation to this CPP, is an overarching term covering how we engage the community in our work under the EP&A Act, including legislative reform, plan making and making decisions on proposed development.

The level and extent of community participation will vary depending on the scope of the proposal under consideration and the potential impact of the decision. The community includes anyone who is affected by the planning system and includes individuals, community groups, Aboriginal communities, peak bodies representing a range of interests, businesses, local government and State and Commonwealth government agencies.

What is our

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN? Our CPP is designed to make participation in planning clearer for the community. It does this by setting out, in one place, how and when the community can participate in the planning system, our functions and different types of proposals.

This CPP also establishes our community participation objectives, which we use to guide our approach to community participation. The plans that this CPP apply to can be found in Table 1.

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN

This CPP does not outline our engagement strategies for the delivery of other Council services, functions or infrastructure. Community engagement of these activities is developed considering the requirements of Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community Engagement Strategy, which was adopted by Council in late 2016 as part of the Community Strategic Plan.

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Community Participation Plan and

INTEGRATED PLANNING AND REPORTING Council’s first rendition of the CPP will be exhibited as an individual strategy. Moving forward, the CPP will be incorporated into Council’s

Community Strategic Plan. This will take place during the next update of the Community Strategic Plan. This approach will make for a more

streamlined approach to updating and linking these documents. Figure 1 highlights this proposed framework.

State and regional plans Community Strategic Plan

including Community Engagement Strategy

Local Strategic Planning Statement

including Community Participation Plan (this document)

Other strategic plans Community engagement

eg Imagine Lake Mac

eg Destination Management Plan

eg Arts, Heritage and Cultural Plan

eg Economic Development Strategy

Delivery Program 4 years

Operational Plan 1 year

Annual Report Figure 1 Integrated planning and reporting framework

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN

eg Heritage Plan

Resourcing Strategy • Long term ﬁnancial planning • Workforce management planning • Asset management planning

Principles of the

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN The EP&A Act guides Council to ensure that it will be clearer and easier for the community to understand how it can participate in planning decisions. The EP&A Act outlines the principles that underpin Council’s CPP. These principles are: •

The community has a right to be informed about planning matters that affect it.

•

Council will encourage effective and ongoing partnerships with the community to provide meaningful opportunities for community participation in planning.

•

Planning information will be in plain language, easily accessible and in a form that facilitates community participation in planning.

•

The community will be given opportunities to participate in strategic planning as early as possible to enable community views to be genuinely considered.

•

Community participation will be inclusive and Council will actively seek views that are representative of the community.

•

Members of the community who are affected by proposed major development will be consulted by the proponent before an application for planning approval is made.

•

Planning decisions will be made in an open and transparent way and the community will be provided with reasons for those decisions, including how community views have been taken into account.

•

Community participation methods and the reasons given for planning decisions will be appropriate, having regard to the significance of likely impact of the proposed development.

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN

What is

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN LAKE MAC? Community engagement is the process of involving people in the decisions that affect their lives and environment. It is proactive and ongoing, promoting open discussion and shared responsibilities for decisions. Community engagement can involve a broad variety of activities. One way to understand the different types of engagement is through a continuum from informing (reflecting a low level of engagement) through to active participation (reflecting a high level of engagement). Council carries out a variety of engagement activities at different points on this continuum. Informing takes place when a decision has been made or an action is required, such as a new policy direction or change in services. Consulting takes place when a project or activity requires some input or feedback before a decision is made, such as a draft plan or design for a community facility. Active participation takes place when we collaborate with or involve specific groups or community.

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN

Our approach to

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Meaningful engagement helps to shape the strategic direction of our City, as well as informing the various policies and plans that support this vision. We are committed to providing best practice engagement based on our principles of engagement and guided by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). Council’s community engagement principles aim to ensure:

•

Community engagement will be inclusive, transparent and ensure fair participation.

•

Engagement will have a clear purpose, objectives and approach.

•

Community engagement is about informed decisions – not necessarily full consensus.

•

Activities will be timely, appropriate and not raise unrealistic expectations.

•

Communities will be engaged around decisions that are yet to be made.

•

Engagement activities aim to build trust and understanding.

Our approach reflects the social justice principles of equity, access and participation.

•

Engagement activities will only occur when there is a real opportunity for people to influence or change decisions or services.

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The IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum (Figure 2) helps to determine the scope of our community’s input and the role those engaged will have in the decision-making process.

Increasing level of public impac

INFORM

CONSULT

INVOLVE

COLLABORATE

EMPOWER

GOAL

To provide balanced and objective information in a timely manner

To obtain feedback on analysis, issues, alternatives and decisions

To work with the public to make sure that concerns and aspirations are considered and understood

To partner with the public in each aspect of the decision-making

To place ﬁnal decision-making in the hands of the public

PROMISE

“We will keep you informed”

“We will listen to and acknowledge your concerns”

“We will work with you to ensure your concerns and aspirations are directly reﬂected in the decisions made”

“We will look to you for advice and innovation and incorporate this in decisions as much as possible”

“We will implement what you decide”

EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES

• Fact sheets • Web sites • Social media

• Surveys • Drop-in sessions

• Community workshops • Interactive mapping

• Community working group • Participatory decision-making

• Citizen juries • Delegated decisions

Figure 2 – IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum

OUR ENGAGEMENT AIMS Through this Plan, we aim to

•

strengthen partnerships between Council, the local community and stakeholders

•

draw on the knowledge and experience of older generations

•

provide a consistent and balanced approach to ensure all engagement activities are focused and effective

ensure our community knows when and how they can provide feedback on planning decisions that could affect their future. We also aim to: •

be proactive and innovative in our approach to overcome barriers to participation

•

make use of contemporary and traditional engagement tools and social media to reach the broad community

•

create opportunities to engage with the harder to reach including young people and families

•

deliver engagement activities at various locations across the City.

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Community Participation Plan

PLANNING DOCUMENTS Table 1 highlights the planning functions, strategies and minimum exhibition timeframes that this CPP applies to, as set out in Schedule 1 of the EP&A Act. Table 1 - Community Participation Exhibition Scope of Community Participation Plan

Minimum exhibition timeframe

Draft Community Participation Plan (this plan)

28 days

Draft Local Strategic Planning Statement The Local Strategic Planning Statement will set the 20-year vision for land use in the local area, the special character and values that are to be preserved and how change will be managed into the future. Note, Council is currently developing the draft Local Strategic Planning Statement.

28 days

Planning proposals for local environmental plans, subject to a Gateway Determination Planning proposals can be prepared to: • rezone land to change the uses allowed on the land • administrative amendments to the Lake Macquarie Local Environment Plan (LEP) 2014 –i.e. addition of heritage items, changes to permitted land uses in certain zones, updates to clauses and maps

28 days (or as specified by the Gateway Determination, which may find that due to the minor nature of the proposal that no public exhibition is required or only 14 days exhibition is required)

Reclassification of land Land in Council ownership must be classified for either community or operational use under the Local Government Act 1993. Community land is for land designated for community use such as community halls, libraries and recreational facilities. Operational land serves a commercial or operational function such as offices, work depots or land that is being retained for strategic reasons. When land comes into community ownership, such as new sportsgrounds, they need to be classified correctly. In addition, Council sometimes reclassifies land that it no longer requires for community use to allow leasing or sale of land. Example: Reclassification of community land to operational land at various sites across the City.

28 days and a public hearing scheduled for at least 21 days after the public exhibition occurs

Local Approvals Policy – significant changes – new uses added or significant amendment made The Local Approvals Policy identifies low impact activities that can be undertaken without approval from Council, such as community events, footway dining and mobile vending provided they meet certain criteria.

14 days

Draft development control plans and guidelines 28 days The Lake Macquarie Development Control Plan (DCP) and Guidelines provide controls to guide new development, which are considered in the assessment of development applications.

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN

Planning strategies, structure plans or master plans that may result in changes to LEP and DCP through implementation Examples include strategies such as Imagine Lake Mac, Parking Strategy and Structure Plans for areas.

28 days^

Draft contribution plans A plan that levies new development for facilities such as transport, community and recreational facilities required to service new development.

28 days

Draft planning agreements 28 days Planning agreements entered into between Council and a developer. The Planning agreement allows contributions for land dedication, recreation, community and transport facilities in lieu of development contributions under section 7.11 of the EP&A Act. Development application (DA) – application for development consent (other than for complying development certificate, for designated development or for State significant development) Examples include development applications for new dwellings, commercial, retail and industrial development and modifications to these.

14 days*

DA – application for development consent for designated development Designated developments are higher impact developments that are detailed in Schedule 3 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 and includes activities such as aquaculture, coalmines, chemical storage facilities, extractive industries, electricity generating stations and marinas. These developments need to be supported by an Environmental Impact Statement.

28 days

DA – application for development consent for State significant development Some types of development are deemed to have State significance due to the size, economic value or potential impacts that a development may have. Development that is State significant development (SSD) is identified in the State and Regional Development State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) and includes development such as new education establishments, hospitals and correction centres, mining and extraction operations, tourist and port facilities.

28 days

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – obtained under Division 5.1 An EIS prepared for development under Part 5 of the EP&A Act for certain development such as state significant development.

28 days

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – for State significant infrastructure under Division 5.2 State significant infrastructure includes major transport and services development such as rail and road infrastructure, pipelines and development in National Parks.

28 days

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*In certain circumstances, Council may dispense with notification. Notification may be dispensed with, except in relation to heritage items or heritage conservation areas nominated within Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2014, when: 1. Council is of the opinion an amended or substituted application (including applications under s4.55 or s8.2 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act) varies in a minor respect from the original application that was previously notified 2. Council is of the opinion the development is of a minor nature that will not adversely affect the amenity of adjoining land or the locality 3. The application is for a temporary use as detailed in Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2014 and in the opinion of Council will not adversely affect the amenity of the locality 4. Development is for a new residential dwelling house and/or ancillary development to a house, provided the development: a) is a maximum of two storey and b) has a maximum height of 8.5m measured from the existing ground level and c) the external wall of the building is not built to the lot boundary. 5. Development is for additions to a residential dwelling house and/or ancillary development to a dwelling house, provided the development: a) is a maximum of two storey and b) has a maximum height of 8.5m measured from the existing ground level and c) the external wall of the building is not built to the lot boundary ^ The updates to the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act do not mandate these documents to be part of the Community Participation Plan. However as they relate to planning matters and for transparency, Council is including them.

Exempt and Complying Development Some development, such as exempt and complying development under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, does not allow opportunities for community engagement.

Land to which this Community Participation Plan applies The Community Participation Plan applies to all land within Lake Macquarie City other than land on which exempt and complying development is proposed.

DRAFT LAKE MACQUARIE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLAN